Thursday, April 25, 2013

Wedding Dress Shopping!

Good morning!

I was going to possibly do a post about early 1960's carpets today (don't freak out, there's always next week for retro carpet discussion) but my heart wasn't in it. I'm too much in throes of weddin' plannin'! With 149 days to go, we've pretty much only marked off "save the dates" (I used the same basic color picture we talked about earlier this year, they looked great!) and venue, and honestly, I feel like I should be about 1,000,000 times more on top of this than I am right now. I wake up feeling like a panel from a Cathy comic strip, and folks, THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE A LIFE.

They make it look so easy in the magazines!!

I had a dream last night that I was sending out wedding invitations, and then realized at the last minute everyone was already assembled at the hotel where we were having the wedding. I walked down a long corridor of tables set with food platters on the way to the room where the ceremony was being held, just agog at all the food. "My parents sprang for so much food!" I thought to my dream self. There was kiwi sushi, which I have no intention of serving to guests at my upcoming nuptials, but that's how vivid the dream was. I usually save that level of detail for the ones where reliving some seventies' slasher movie, but here I was, tromping past guests in my street clothes, trying to find my mother, to tell her the really bad, really REALLY terribly awfully bad news-- I had no dress! NO DRESS. I'd thought I had another couple of weeks to get everything together, and here I was on my big day in NO DRESS. "You look fine!" my mom said when I finally located her. "You could just walk down the aisle in what you're wearing!" I woke up in a state of extreme agitation, needless to say.

My mom and I have been to Bridal Warehouse and David's Bridal, but have little to report in the way of "the one". I didn't get a chance to try on all the dresses I saw online that I liked, so we're hitting the Cool Springs branch and possibly the Murfreesboro branch tomorrow. I thought I would show you some of the gowns that may very well prevent the tragedy hinted at in my dream!

I tried on the first three of these, and this was the first of those three. While it's figure flattering, and has the flared skirt/tea length/tiny waist requirements to suit the vague idea of the dress I want, my mom and I were both underwhelmed by its plainness. Maybe with a colored petticoat, or a great veil, though, this could be something a little more eye-catching? You'd be surprised at how few bridal gowns nowadays, compared to the hundreds of full -length-with-train, are tea length! I knew I should have been shopping off the rack in 1958 rather than 2013, imagine how much better my odds would be!

This was by far the most flattering dress, as that shirred top makes anyone look slightly leaner and yet somehow ever so slightly more pneumatic than regular. Length, perfect. Fit, perfect. But! The organza overlay, which looks white as teeth on the model, is actually two or three shades of ivory darker than the white-white of the underskirt! I would say that the flower and the pattern on the organza are almost a cafe au lait type color. What the what! Which makes this dress plummet in the mom-and-me ratings race from major contender to I-don't-want-to-look-like-I'm-not-the-bride-at-my-own-wedding. UGH.

This Oleg Cassini (OLD HOLLYWOOD! The man who started the line married Gene Tierney and almost married Grace Kelly. You had me at the name!) number was my favorite of the ones I tried on in terms of design and "wow" factor, but the Rivergate store only had it in a 10 (I'm an 8) and when something is a size too big in the bust and the waist, in a dress that is fitted to the bust and the waist, it's altogether impossible for me to tell what it would look like in my actual size. The sales associate kept pulling the excess material back so I could "see what it would look like in an 8", but this bid at closing the deal was unsuccessful. Next closest dress? Bowling Green or Knoxville. BOOOOOO. Still, if I don't have any luck on Friday, it's a distinct possibility I'm driving to Kentucky on Saturday.

They didn't have this at the Rivergate store, period, and what a shame! That lace overlay at the bateau neckline! The cap sleeves! SO. FIFTIES'. This is the one I liked the best online. Hopefully, I'll get a crack at it on Friday. I think this would fit pretty much every in-my-head ideal, but you never know until you try it on.

I know I sound like I've been kind of dead set on the tea length thing, but I love how Spanish-lace-and-late-sixties'-early-seventies' this dress looks. I love that this modeling photo is the most ridiculous (biking with hydrangeas in one of the most expensive dresses, if not THE most expensive dress, I will ever wear!), I love the cut of this dress.

So! What do you think? Those are the ones I'm gunning for on my next trip, and a couple more. There's also a hidden possibility of a vintage dress I now have, but I'll tell you about it another time. Try to see past the weird styling in these photos and imagine this super tall, beehived, immaculately made-up gal in the self same dresses-- which do you think would be the most flattering? Any tips on finding brick-and-mortar locations to try on wedding dresses? I couldn't believe Dillards or Macys are both without bridal departments-- what is the world coming to! Do you have any terrible or wonderful stories about finding clothes for your own or someone's else's wedding? Let's talk! Make me feel better, for goodness's sake! :)

That's all for today, back to regularly schedule vintage ramblings tomorrow. Til then!

16 comments:

Ooh, love number 3! Will the store with the correct size not ship it to your local store?

I got married in Nashville in 2010. I bought my J Crew dress on e-Bay for a great price. The style was very simple and the fabric was 100% silk and had a wonderful drape. Luxurious! Thanks for letting me blab about my own dress.

I found wedding planning very stressful, so I understand your anxiety dream! My only advice is to put the pieces together ahead of time and then you can relax before the wedding. I slept great the week before the wedding because there was nothing left to do. Good luck!

I'm going to have to ask about shipping if we don't get our socks knocked off by anything out in Franklin... that's a really good idea. I'm not sure if they'll do that just to try it on or whatever, something about the salesperson's wording made me think I'd just have to buy it online or go to one of those locations. However! You don't know til you ask!

Your all-silk J Crew dress sounds fabulous!! It's funny how I was all "Ah, wedding dress, whatever," until I started trying them on, and now I have visions of ivory colored textiles dancing through my head 24/7. What have I become?! (haha)

Oh, I hope I can get to that last week and just have everything already planned out, that would be FANTASTIC. Thanks for your advice! I'll keep you posted on how I'm progressing! :)

I eloped first and got married in a cobalt blue dress. I didn't really ind because it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. For our reception, I did buy a vintage inspired dress. I choose an off white color mainly because white makes me look sallow. My dress was similar to #4 but with a fuller pleated skirt. It was tea length and everyone loved it. I tried the typical stores David's Bridal, Alfred Angelo, etc. They had some gorgeous dress but nothing that really stuck a chord for me. My mother-in-law and I went to a store in Orange and found my dress. Great prices too.

I agree with you about the off-white...something about the white-white of some of these dresses is just too bright. I love #4, I bet your dress was gorgeous. I was tipped off to some smaller places around town, so I might try some of those on for size. Keep a good thought for me that I find something fabulous this afternoon!

my best friend wore a cut very similar to the wild card dress at her wedding and she loved it! The bottom was different but the top was an exact replica! I love love love lace but am sometimes underwhelmed with David's Bridal for the same reasons you described, but there are some gems if you dig! I have dug in the past with many of my married friends! But yeah, you would think they would have more tea length dresses! Have you looked on etsy or even ebay for dresses? I know I have seen LOTS of tea length dresses on there and for not very much...so alterations would be easily budgeted. I am pretty in love with some of these although they are a little pricier than some of the others on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/Leanimal [BONUS: They are made by a project runway winner...so you can totally brag about that for years to come!]

There are some gorgeous dresses out there on the world wide internet. I especially like the etsy Runway winner shop you linked me to(Runway ADDICT here, so that's pretty much THE COOLEST thing. Where's the dress of my dreams! I have the goofiest presentiment that I'll just be able to "tell" when it's the one, but I hope that holds true after an hour in the dressing rooms this afternoon.

Thanks for your words of encouragement! I hope I can find some of that David's Bridal gold you talked about!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one having wedding anxiety dreams. I had one last week where I bought a dress, but didn't notice until the wedding day that it was covered in yellow paint splotches. Commence freakout! But don't worry. You still have plenty of time.

Lady, we have really similar taste in dresses. As I scrolled through, I was so afraid I'd see my dress here. I bought an Oleg Cassini dress, but it's not one of these. I just couldn't resist a dress from Jackie Kennedy's favorite designer!

I tried on three(!) of these dresses at David's Bridal in Cool Springs a few weeks ago. I'm also an 8, and they had them all in 8 at the time. The tea length Oleg Cassini dresses are both gorgeous, but since I'm so short they're almost floor length on me. The strapless one would look incredible on you, though! If you try it on, and then don't look in the mirror until the saleswomen work their magic with the fitting clips, it's easier to envision how it will look with alterations.

The bride with bicycle dress is awesome. I only decided against it because I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't the same dress Emmy wore at her wedding in December. I figured if I bought the same dress as Emmy, she'd be justified in killing me. Epilogue: Her dress was different. If you like it, go for it! :)

Of all these gowns, I vote for the strapless Cassini. But I can easily imagine you in a silky, bias cut '30s style gown, too. I can't wait to see what you choose. As a tall, slim bride, you have SO MANY flattering options!

i've heard that the white room in lebanon is good. and bowling green really isn't that far! i went to david's bridal, was told they had nothing that would cover my back and was treated like i was bothering them for asking, so I ended up getting my dress custom made. which was ok but my mom had lots of crazy requirements so i didn't love it.

I keep hearing about the White Room, I'm going to add that to my afternoon's itinerary! Yeah, I love some of the salesmanship (or lack thereof) from these high volume gown retailers. I went in on Friday and was completely ignored, gingerly looked at a dress or two, got too intimidated by all the huge plastic bags and not being able to figure out what the dress would look out of it, and fled. Then I came back Sunday and tried on every dress in America, but this time armed with printouts of the things I liked and a newfound determination to make some leeway on this freakin' dress sitch. I notice how almost nothing had sleeves/a back to it! There's a hilarious line of those on Bridal Warehouse's website... check out the Allure Modest collection CatId=22057#subtitle Still! What is going ON with these?

I hope my mom doesn't go into overdrive on me with this afternoon's outings-- we both have strongheaded tendencies, but I gotta make this work!

here comes the old lady advice:you are soooo young and pretty - you will look beautiful and glowing in every dress. i made a lot of wedding dresses, always the kind you don´t find in stores. and i always thought - the younger the bride, the less complicated the dress.is there not one wise seamstress in nashville??????

Thanks for your advice and kind words. It gives me hope for my shopping trip! And if we can't find anything readymade, maybe I can find the one wise seamstress in Nashville! :) I'll keep you up to date.

The wild card dress reminds me of my mother's wedding dress (though hers had long sleeves)...she got married in 1974, so that's about right. A shame about #2, that was my favorite of the lot. You will look gorgeous in anything though! Best of luck!

Thanks, lady! I was bummed about the second one too, but maybe I can find something cut like it without the (why in the heck) coffee colored accents. I'll have to let you all know what the last one looks like on!

I like #3. If Oleg was endorsed by Gene, Grace, and Jackie O., then I am totally on board. It also has a "Roman Holiday"-era Audrey quality to it. I'm a fan of the wild card too; you have the height to really make it a stunner. Plus, I have a bike you can use for your something borrowed!!! Good luck!